How to Transplant a Goldfish

Sometimes it is necessary to transplant goldfish from one environment to another. This may be to move them to a bigger tank, move them from an aquarium to a pond or vice versa, or take them from their tank or pond to move to a new residence. This can be a stressful experience for a goldfish. You need to plan ahead and make sure they are not subjected to extreme changes in their environment or they will become susceptible to disease and infection, and can easily die.

  1. Acclimatizing Goldfish to New Water

    • An important part of transplanting a goldfish is getting it used to new water gradually so that water temperature and pH do not suddenly change. When moving a goldfish to a new tank or pond, take a week to 10 days to do this by taking out 10 to 20 percent of the tank water each day and replacing it with water from the new environment. When moving fish from a pond to an aquarium, you should fill the new aquarium with water from the pond several hours before you transport the fish over. If you are taking fish to a new home, carry them in water from their home tank.

    Containers

    • When moving fish between aquariums in the same building or to a garden pond, use a small bucket to carry them, one-third to one-half full of water they were swimming in. For longer journeys, use an insulated cooler like a picnic cooler, and line it with two black trash bags then fill them with water to one-quarter or one-third, leaving the remainder of the room for air. Blow air in before closing the trash bags off with rubber bands and putting the lid on the container.

    Catching and Releasing

    • Have a container of their water ready before catching the goldfish. Use a skimmer net and try to guide it toward them without causing panic. Gently place them in the transport container. If you are having trouble catching the fish, you might want to drop the water level and remove ornaments and plants that they can hide under. When releasing them, simply place the container or bucket into the new environment and tilt it so the goldfish can swim out on its own.

    Journeys Longer Than Two Hours

    • For journeys longer than two hours, you will need an air pump, or you should exchange some of the water to fresh water of similar temperature. You can get battery-operated pumps that run off a car cigarette lighter if transporting fish to a new home by car. For long journeys, do not feed fish for 24 hours before moving so they do not foul the water quickly. If moving to a new residence, try to take as much of the old aquarium water as possible and run the pump and filters for a couple of hours before putting the goldfish back in at the new home.